Miniature plug-in circuit controllers



R. J. sEDoRY 3,493,697

MINIATURE PLUG-IN CIRCUIT CONTROLLERS Filed sept. s, 196s Feb. 3, 1970 Smm @NN Y 9 mw NJ Y x .vws

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,.wwiwvvlmw uw R LA United States Patent O 3,493,697 MINIATURE PLUG-IN `CIRCUIT CONTROLLERS Robert J. Sedory, Swissvale, Pa., assignor to Westinghouse Air Brake Company, Swissvale, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Sept. 3, 1968, Ser. No. 756,946 Int. Cl. H01h 9/54 U.S. Cl. 200-4 16 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates to a push-pull rotary type of circuit controller comprising an L-shaped supporting bracket having a plurality of bearings. A spring biased return-to-neutral operating rod is journalled in the bearings and has an actuating handle for pushing, pulling and rotating the operating rod. A plurality of cylindrical movable contacts are carried by the operating rod and a plurality of stationary spring contacts by a printed circuit board are cooperatively associated with the movable contacts for selectively opening and closing the stationary spring contacts in accordance with the operating of the actuating handle.

My invention relates to miniature plug-in circuit controllers and, more particularly, to push-pull-rotary returnto-neutral electrical circuit controllers which are suitable for selectively controlling the electrical condition of a plurality of external circuits.

In the operation of a railroad, it is common practice to simulate the actual rail routes or trackage on a track model control panel which is located at a central office. Such control panels are generally employed in C.T.C. (centralized traiiic control) systems, where the entire railroad operation, namely, the movement of trains is directed by wayside or cab signals in accordance with routes remotely established at the central office. In order to set up the various routes or blocks over or through which any given train is to pass, it has been found highly advantageous to utilize multiple function types of electrical switching devices or circuit controllers for this purpose. That is, since the railway switches which establish the physical course of travel and the indication signals -which govern the given route are interrelated, it is desirable to correlate and control these external circuits through suitable circuit controllers which are capable of multiple transfer switching functions. Further, it is of importance to minimize the overall size of the circuit controller so that a multitude of circuit controllers may be suitably mounted on the control panel within easy access of the operator. Additionally, in order to facilitate installation and servicing, it is highly desirable to utilize a plug-in type of terminal arrangement so that such circuit controllers may be readily replaced and installed with less likelihood of erroneous electrical hook up to the various external circuits. In the past, circuit controllers or control switches generally employed cams for operating either stacked contact springs or resilient contact fingers. It will be appreciated that such previous arrangements were not only susceptible to excessive frictional wear, fatigue and contact pitting but also required repeated adjusting for proper electrical contact. lIn addition to these problems, other shortcomings, such as 3,493,697 Patented Feb. 3, 1970 excessive contact bounce and arcing, arduous assembling and disassembling, tedious hand-solder wiring and possible heat damage, and unduly number of parts required in prior art types of circuit controllers have resulted in highly complex switch devices which are economically expensive to produce as well as to maintain.

Accordingly, it is an object of my invention to provide a new and improved circuit controller for solving the above-mentioned problems.

Another object of my invention is to provide a unique miniature plug-in type of circuit controller which selectively controls a plurality of external circuits.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide an improved push-pull-rotary type of circuit control employing a printed circuit board for electrically interconnecting a plurality of external circuits with a plurality of transfer switching contacts.

A further object of my invention is to provide a unique circuit controller having a cylindrical type of movable contact assembly cooperatively associated with stationary contact lingers for performing transfer switching functions.

Yet a further object of my invention is to provide a unique push-pull-rotary return-to-neutral circuit controller which has a minimum of wear, fatigue and contact pitting.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a novel circuit controller which employs a printed circuit type of stationary contact assembly and a cylindrical type of movable contact assembly for establishing and interrupting various electrical circuits- Still a further object of my invention is to provide a new and improved plug-in type of circuit controller having a self-indexing cylindrical movable contact assembly Which is cooperatively associated with a plurality of stationary spring contacts for performing transfer switching functions.

Still yet another object of my invention is to provide an improved circuit controller which may be pushed, pulled and rotated for controlling a plurality of external circuits and which is spring biased to a normal neutral position by means of a single compression and a single torsion spring.

Still yet a further object of my invention is to provide a new and improved circuit controller which is simple in construction, economical in cost and eflicient and reliable in operation.

Generally, my invention relates to a circuit controller comprising an L-shaped supporting bracket having a threaded bushing securely fastened to one leg of the L- shaped bracket and a metallic and nonmetallic bearing block disposed intermediate and at the free end on the other leg of the L-shaped bracket, respectively. An operating rod passes axially through the threaded bushing and the metallic and nonmetallic bearing blocks and includes an actuating handle at one end thereof for permitting ready access for longitudinal and/ or rotational manipulation. A return-to-neutral biasing assembly including a compression spring, a torsion spring and a sector return plate surrounds the operating rod and is disposed between the theaded bushing and the metallic bearing block. The sector return plate includes a first axially extending pin while the metallic bearing block includes a second axially extending pin. A low-friction spool is slidably disposed on the second extending pin so that the respective ends of the torsion spring ride on the spool and cooperate with the first axially extending pin for angularly biasing the operating rod to a neutral position. A transfer switching assembly including a plurality of movable and stationary contacts is disposed between the metallic and the nonmetallic bearing blocks, The movable contacts include a plurality of conductive ring and segment elements which are axially disposed in insulative relationship by means of a plurality of insulative sleeves and spacers telescoped over the operating rod. The stationary contacts include a plurality of pairs of conductive spring contact fingers disposed on each side of the operating rod in cooperative association with selected ones of the ring and segment elements. Each of the spring contact fingers is electrically connected to and carried by a printed circuit board which is also securely fastened to the other leg of the L-shaped supporting bracket. The printed circuit board includes terminal portions for connection to external circuits which are complete and interrupted in accordance with longitudinal and rotational manipulation of the actuating handle which causes the opening and closing of the stationary contacts by the movable contacts.

A better understanding of my invention will be had by the reference to the drawings in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views in which:

FIG. 1 is a top elevational view of a circuit controller embodying the present invention with a portion of the cover broken away to more clearly illustrate the details thereof.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the circuit controller of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a slightly enlarged rear elevational view of the circuit controller of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a slightly enlarged transverse sectional View taken substantially along the line IV-IV of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a slightly enlarged transverse sectional view taken substantially along the line V--V in FIG, 2.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, it will be noted that the circuit controller generally characterized by numeral 1 includes a main L-shaped supporting bracket or frame 2 which effectively carries the remaining elements of the circuit controller. The supporting bracket 2 preferably consists of a flat piece of sheet steel or other suitable material. The frame 2 is prebent or formed to have a long horizontal extending portion or leg 3 and a short vertical extending portion or leg 4. The vertical leg 4 is provided with a suitable hole which accommodates a threaded flanged bushing 5. That is, the bushing 5 is axially aligned with the hole in the leg 4 and is fixedly secured to the same by being either welded or soldered thereto. As shown, the flange portion of the bushing 5 is disposed adjacent the inner surface of the vertical leg portion while the threaded portion extends forwardly with clearance through a hole, or circular aperture 6 formed in a mounting panel 7. A mounting nut 8 is screwed onto the threaded portion of the bushing 5 and engages the front wall of the mounting panel 7 so that the major portion of the circuit controller is effectively disposed behind the mounting panel 7.

It will be seen that the horizontal leg 3 of the supporting bracket 2 is provided with an intermediate metallic bearing block V9 which is suitably secured to the horizontal leg portion 3, such as by welding or soldering. As shown, an operating rod or shaft 14 passes completely through the threaded bushing 5 with a portion extending from the front side of the mounting panel 7. The operating rod 14 also passes through a circular opening 10 of the intermediate bearing block 9 which is in axial alignment with bushing 5. An actuating knob or handle 17 is securely fastened to the portion of the operating rod 14 which extends beyond the front wall of the panel 7, such as, by a set screw or other suitable fastening means. It will be noted that the Operating rod 14 is provided with a rectangular slot 15 which extends axially along the entire length of the rod 14, the purpose of which will be described hereinafter. In order to minimize frictional wear and alleviate the need of a lubricating vehicle, a polished metallic sleeve 18 is preferably slidably disposed within the threaded bushing 5 and projects slightly beyond the front surface of the bushing 5. Similarly, a polished chrome sleeve 19 is disposed around the operating rod 14 and cooperates with the central opening 10 of bearing block 9 to provide a low friction type of bearing surface therewith.

As shown in FIGS. l, 2 and 4, a return-to-neutral spring biasing assembly 24 is shown positioned between the threaded bushing 5 and the metallic bearing block 9. The spring biasing assembly includes a sector return plate 25, a torsion spring 28, and a helical compression spring 30.

iThe sector return plate 25 is disposed adjacent the metallic bearing block 9 and is restricted from rotating or moving angularly with respect to rod 14 by means of a cylindrical pin 26 which is pressed into a suitable through hole (not characterized) in the return plate 25 and communicates with the axially extending slot 15 of the operating rod 14, as shown in FIG. 4. It will be appreciated that s uch an arrangement prevents angular displacement but permits axial displacement to occur between the plate 25 and rod 14. Preferably, a suitable washer 27 of low friction bearing material is disposed between the sector return plate 25 and the metallic bearing block 9 in order to reduce the frictional wear and drag between the adjacent surfaces of the sector plate 25 and metallic bearing block 9.

The helical compression spring 30 surrounds operating rod 14 and is initially placed under compression between a rst metallic washer 31 which is disposed adjacent the inner side of threaded bushing 5 and a second metallic washer 32 which engages the adjacent side of the torsion spring 28. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the compression spring 30 will cause the operating rod to return to its neutral position after the handle 17 is either pushed or pulled and thereafter released. Further, the longitudinal pushing motion of the operating rod 14 is limited by engagement of the adjacent inner surface of the handle 17 with the adjacent outer surface of the threaded bushing 5. The longitudinal outward movement of the operating rod is limited by a third washer 36 which sur- -rounds rod 14 and engages the rear surface of the metallic bearing block 9 when the handle 17 is pulled.

As shown, the convolute portion of the torsion spring 28 surrounds the operating shaft 14 and is disposed between the confronting face of the sector return plate 25 and the adjacent surface of the second washer 32. The convolution of the torsion spring 28 terminates in a pair of radially extending crossed-arm portions 28a and 28b which are turned-in at their outer extremities. The sector return plate 28 is provided with a rst axially extending pin 33 which cooperates with the radially extending portions 2Sa and 28b of the torsion spring 28. That is, in viewing FIG. 4, it will be noted that the pin 33 cooperates with two arms intermediately beyond the crossing point of the radially extending portions 28a and 28b. The metallic bearing block 9 is provided with a second axially extending pin 34 upon which a spool 35 of suitable low friction material, such as, nylon or Teflon is slidably disposed thereon. The intermediate reduced portion of spool 35 is engaged by the outer turned-in extremities of the radially extending portions 28a and 28b of the torsion spring 28. Accordingly, the sector return plate 25 and the operating rod are constantly urged to assume a normally neutral position as shown by the solid lines in FIG. 4. Further, it will be noted that the sector plate 25 is provided with a pair of flat surfaces 25a and 25b as shown in FIG. 4 which cooperates with the upper surface of the horizontal leg 3 of the supporting bracket 2 for limiting the amount of angular rotation of the operating rod 14.

For example, in viewing FIG. 4, it will be noted that the operating rod 14 is limited in the counterclockwise direction by the fiat surface 25a engaging the upper surface of the horizontal leg portion 3 and is limited in the clockwise direction by the fiat surface 25h engaging the upper surface of the horizontal leg 3.

Accordingly, both the rotational and longitudinal movement of the handle 17 and, in turn, the operating rod 14 is restricted to certain limits so that excessive stresses and strains cannot be exerted on either of the biasing springs.

The electrical switching assembly generally characterized by the numeral 40 is composed of a plurality of movable and fixed or stationary contacts. The movable contacts take the formof circular segment and ring conductive elements which are disposed on the remote end of the operating rod 14 in insulative relationship thereto. As shown, a snap type of retainer 41 is located in a suitable annular slot (not characterized) in the operating rod 14 to maintain the washer 36 and metallic sleeve 19 in their proper relationship on the operating rod. Then, a first tubular member 43 of suitable insulating material is telescoped over the operating rod 14 and positioned adjacent the retainer ring 41. A circular conductive segment contact element 44 is snapped into a suitable arcuate cutout portion formed in the insulative sleeve 43. Next a spacer sleeve 45 is telescoped over the operating rod 14 adjacent the other side of the insulative contact sleeve 43. A second insulative sleeve 46 and circular conductive segrnent contact element 47 are disposed adjacent to the spacer sleeve 45. Both the insulative sleeves 43 and 46 as Well as the circular conductive segments 44 and 47 are identical in construction and may be interchangeable by simply turning them end for end. In viewing FIG. 5, it will be noted that the circular segment contact 47 as well as contact element 44 makes an arc which is greater than 180 degrees so that when they are snapped into the appropriate recesses in the insulative sleeves a compressive force retains them therein. It will be appreciated that the segment contacts 44 and 47 may be assembled either beforehand or snapped into place after the sleeves are placed on the operating rod. Further, in viewing FIG. 5, it will be noted that the insulative sleeve 46 is provided with an indexing key 46a which cooperates with the axial slot 15 of the operating rod 14 so that both of the sleeves 43 and 46 are automatically positioned with respect to the operating rod 14. Next a narrow conductive ring contact element 48 and an insulative sleeve 49 are `telescoped over the operating rod 14 and disposed adjacent the insulative sleeve 46. The insulative sleeve 49 is suitably provided with a dia-metrically reduced end portion for accomodating the ring contact element 48. Finally, a wide conductive ring contact element 50 and insulative cylindrical sleeve 51 are telescoped over the operating rod 14 and disposed adjacent the insulative sleeve 49. The wide conductive ring contact element 50 is also placed on the diametrically reduced end portion formed on the insulative sleeve 51. In viewing FIGS. 2 and 5, it will be noted that the arcuate cutout portions and the diametrically reduced portions formed in the insulative sleeve members 43, 46 and 49, 51 preferably have a depth which is equal to the thickness of the conductive elements so that the circumferential exterior surface of the movable Contact assembly is substantially smooth and free of irregularities. Finally, a snap-on retainer ring 52 is pushed over and is snugly fitted within a suitable annular recess formed on the end of the operating rod 14 for retaining and securely holding the `movable contact assembly in proper relationship theret0.

As shown, a nonmetallic bearing block 54 is disposed in cooperative relationship with the rearward end of the operating rod 14 and includes a central circular opening S which accommodates the end of the operating rod 14 and the insulative sleeve 51. The nonmetallic bearing block 54 is preferably constructed of a suitable low friction type of insulating material, such as, nylon, thereby providing electrical isolation as well as a low frictional mechanical bearing arrangement.

The stationary contact assembly includes a plurality of spring contact fingers which are supported and carried by a printed circuit board 58 which is generally rectangular in shape. As shown, a sheet of suitable insulating material 59 is disposed between the printed circuit board 58 and the horizontal leg 3 for electrically insulating the printed circuit conducto-rs from the metallic support member 2. The forward end of the printed circuit board 58 and insulating sheet 59 are securely held to the horizontal leg 3 by means of screws and bolts 60. The rearward end of the horizontal leg 3 is provided with a pair of countersunk holes for accommodating suitable screws, only one being shown at 61 in FIG. 2, which pass through holes in the insulating sheet 59 and printed circuit board 58 and threadedly engage the nonmetallic bearing block 54 for holding the elements in proper relationship with each other. As shown, resilient spring contact fingers which are preferably constructed of phosphorus bronze material are arranged in bridging pairs. Each of the contact fingers is secured to the upper surface of the printed circuit board 58 by suitable fastening means, such as by rivets. A first pair of spring contact fingers 70 and 71 is disposed in cooperative association with the movable contact assembly. The fingers 70 and 71 preferably include contact points or tips and 81 of improved conductive material, such as silver, and are arranged in communication with the conductive segment contact element 44 and the insulative sleeve 43, respectively, when the circuit controller is in its normal neutral position. Similarly. a second pair of spring contact fingers 72 and 73 is carried by the printed circuit board but are disposed axially of the first pair of fingers so that the associated contact points 82 and 83 normally engage the insulative sleeve 46 and the conductive contact segment element 47 respectively. The third pair of spring contact fingers 74 and 75 including a pair of associated contact points 84 and 85 which normally rest on the insulative sleeve 49 is riveted to the printed circuit board 58. Similarly, a fourth pair of contact spring fingers 76 and 77 is riveted adjacent to the contact fingers 74 and 75. The contact fingers 76 and 77 also include a pair of associated contact points 86 and 87 4which normally remain in contact with the insulative sleeve 49. Finally, a fifth pair of spring contact fingers 78 and 79 including a pair of associated contact points 88 and 89 which normally engage the conductive ring contact element 50 is riveted to the printed circuit board 58. Further, it will -be noted that the printed circuit board 58 includes a plurality of printed circuit leads or conductors 90 through 99 which terminate in appropriate terminals to 109 at the proiecting rearward end thereof. The other ends of the conductive leads 90 through 99 are electrically connected to the respective spring contact fingers 70 through 79 by means of the rivets which securely fasten the contact fingers to the printed circuit board. It will be noted in FIGS. l, 2 and 3 that the terminal portions and their associated conductive leads are symmetrically disposed on opposite sides of the printed circuit board 58. That is, the terminal portions 101. 103. 105, 107 and 109 and conductive leads 91, 93. 95, 97 and 99 are disposed on the upper surface of the board 58 while the terminal portions 100. 102, 104. 106 and 108 and the conductive leads 90, 92, 94, 96 and 98 are disposed on the under surface of the board 58 so that a suitably wired female plug-in connector may be attached to the printed circuit board without regard to specific orientation. That is, it is impossible to erroneously interconnect the external circuits with respect to the transfer switching functions since the plug-in connector may -be turned end-for-end with no resulting change occurring in the electrical interconnection.

As shown, a transparent plastic cover 110 is telescoped over the switching assembly and printed circuit board for protecting the contacts against damage as 4well as preventing dust and dirt from entering the contact area. It is preferred that the transparent cover 110 be constructed with suitable plastic material, such as polycarbonate, which permits readily visual inspection of the electrical contacts during periods of maintenance or servicing. Such a plastic material also possesses the advantage that is selfextinguishing. The plastic cover 110 may be securely held in its appropriate position by means of screw 111 which is threadedly screwed to the nonmetallic bearing block 54. As shown, the rearward end of the cover 110 is provided with a rectangular opening 112 for accommodating the female plug-in connector which is appropriately connected to the various external circuits to be controlled.

Let us assume that the circuit controller 1 is in the position shown in FIGS. l and 2 so that the compression and torsional effects of the spring biasing assembly 24 maintain the circuit controller in its normally neutral position. Under this condition, the electrical switching assembly 40 is arranged to have four normally opened switch contacts and one normally closed switch contact. That is, since the contact tip 81 of the stationary contact finger 71 engages the insulative sleeve 43, the external circuit common to the terminal portions 101 and 100 is interrupted. Similarly, since the contact tip 82 of the stationary contact finger 72 engages the insulative sleeve 46, the external circuit common to terminal portions 102 and 103 is interrupted. In viewing FIG. 1, it will be readily noted that both the third and fourth contact switches, namely, contact tips 84 and 85 of stationary contact fingers 74 and 75 as well as contact tips 86 and 87 of stationary contact fingers 76 and 77 engage the insulatve sleeve 49 so that both of the external circuits common to terminal portions 104 and 105 as well as terminal portions 106 and 107 are interrupted at this time. However, it will be noted that the external circuit common to terminal portions 108 and 109 is completed from the terminal portion 108, through lead 98, through the contact finger 78, through the contact point 88, through the conductive ring element 50 through contact point 89, through contact finger 79, through lead 99, to terminal portion 109.

Let us now assume that it is desirable to establish the external circuit common to the terminal portions 104 and 105. Under this condition, it is simply necessary to push the handle 17 inwardly to a point where the inner surface of the handle 17 engages the outer extending surface of the threaded bushing 5. Under this condition, the inward longitudinal movement of the operating rod 14 causes the conductive ring element 48 to be positioned exactly beneath the contact points 84 and 85 so that the spring contact fingers 74 and 75 are bridged by the conductive ring element 48 to complete a circuit through the conductive leads 94 and 95 to the terminal portions 104 and 105 and in turn to the external circuit common therewith. It will be noted that the inward longitudinal movement of the operating rod does not affect the electrical condition of the remaining contact switches and the contact fingers 78 and 79 remain bridged by the ring contact element 50 while the contact fingers 74, 75 and 72, 73 as well as 70 and 71 remain opened. Now the actuating handle 17 may either be turned right or turned left or alternatively be released by the operator wherein the compression spring 30 will return the operating rod 14 and in turn the contact assembly to its neutral position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. However, the turning of the operating handle 17 in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 4 will cause a similar rotation of the contact assembly so that the contact segment element 44 will bridge the contact points 80 and 81 and thereby establish the external circuit common to terminal portions 100 and 101 through the contact fingers 70 and 71 and conductor leads 90 and 91. Alternatively, if the handle 17 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 4, the rotational movement of the operating rod 14 causes the contact segment element 47 to move under the contact point 82 thereby bridging the contact fingers 72 and 73 so that a circuit path is established through conductor leads 92 and 93 and the terminal portions 102 an-d 103 for completing the external circuit common to the terminal portions 102 and 103. It will be noted that when the actuating knob 17 is rotated in either direction, either the radial extending portion 28a or 28h of the torsion spring 28 is displaced by axially extending pin 33. That is, in viewing FIG. 4, it will be noted that when the actuating handle 17 is rotated in a clockwise direction, the rotational movement of the operating rod 14 causes the sector plate 25 to move in the same direction so that the radial extending portion 28h of the torsion spring 28 is moved downwardly as shown by dotted line 28b. Similarly, when the actuating knob 17 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, the radial extending portion 28a of the torsional spring 28 is angularly displaced upwardly as shown by dotted line 28a. It will be noted from viewing FIG. 4 that the angular displacement in either direction is limited by the flat surfaces 25a and 25b which cooperate with the upper surface of the horizontal leg portion 3 of the supporting bracket 2 for acting as a stop member. Accordingly, when the actuating handle 17 is released, the torsional spring 28 will angularly return while the compression spring 30 axially returns the circuit controller to its intermediate neutral position.

Let us again assume that the circuit controller is in a position as shown in FIGS. l and 2 and that the operator pulls the actuating handle 17. The pulling of the handle 17 causes the operating rod 14 to move outwardly to a point where washer 36 engages the adjacent inner face of the metallic bearing block 9. That is, since the outer diameter of washer 36 is larger than the circular opening 10 of the metallic bearing block 9, the operating rod 14 is effectively restricted in the amount of outward longitudinal movement. Since the sector plate 25 is slidably mounted to the operating rod 14 by means of pin 26 and slot 15, the sector plate 25 undergoes an equal axial displacement which causes the compression spring 30 to become compressed. The torsional spring 28 also moves outwardly with the operating rod 14 and the radial extending portions 28 and 2817 move with the Teflon spool 35 which slides freely with respect to the axially extending pin 34. It will be noted that the longitudinal displacement of the operating rod causes the conductive ring contact element 50 to interrupt the bridging of contact points 88 and 89 to establish the bridging by the contact points 86 and 87. Accordingly, the external circuit common to terminal portions 108 and 109 is opened and the external circuit common to terminals 106 and 107 is closed by the bridging effect of conductive ring element 50. If desired, the operating rod 14 may be now rotated in either direction so that previously mentioned external circuits may be established either by conductive segment element 44 or 47 dependent upon the direction of rotation of the actuating knob 17. In a like manner when the actuating handle 17 is released by the operator, the compressive efforts of spring 30 and the torsional efforts of spring 28 automatically return the circuit controller and in turn the operating rod and the electrical switch assembly to their normal neeutral position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

It will be understood that the number of movable and stationary contacts may be increased or decreased, and therefore, it is understood that greater or lesser than ve external circuits may be effectively controlled. In addition, it is apparent that the particular disposition of the movable and stationary contacts may be readily changed to meet the needs of any situation. For example, the conductive segments 44 and 47 may be interchanged and/o1` reversed and also the conductive rings maybe suitably relocated and replaced to vary the transfer switching function for any required operation.

Further, it will be appreciated that the unique three point bearing arrangement ,provides a mechanically stable 9 arrangement which substantially eliminates all contact bounce and electrical wear due to excess movement of the operating rod. The polished chrome sleeves 18 and 19 as well as the low frictional characteristic of the nylon sleeve 51 provide for reduced mechanical wear and permit easy manipulation of the actuating handle 17 by the operator. In addition, the concentric disposition of the insulative sleeve and conductive ring and segment elements provides for reduced wear of the electrical contact points which improves the electrical characteristics of the circuit controller. The use of the printed board eliminates the possibility of a -wiring error in hooking-up the circuit controller to the external circuit. The unique disposition of the terminal portions permits the female terminal connector to be rotated 180 degrees without resulting in an erroneous electrical hook-up. Accordingly, each of these features provides an improved overall circuit controller which is economical in cost, simple in construction, reliable in operation, durable in use, and efficient in service.

While my invention has been described Iwith reference to a preferred single embodiment thereof, it should be understood that numerous changes and variations may be made by those skilled in the art that will fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A push-pull-rotary circuit controller comprising, a supporting bracket having a plurality of bearings disposed in axial alignment with each other, an operating rod journaled in said bearings, said operating rod having an actuating handle mounted on one end and having a movable contact assembly including a plurality of electrically isolated contact elements axially disposed on the other end thereof, a fixed contact assembly having a printed circuit board securely fastened to said supporting bracket, said printed circuit board having a plurality of terminal portions for connection to external circuits and carrying a. plurality of spring contacts disposed in cooperative association with said Contact elements, and a return-toneutral spring biasing assembly disposed intermediate the ends of said operating rod for permitting said actuating handle to be pushed, pulled and rotated in either direction thereby selectively establishing and interrupting electrical contact between said contact elements and said contact springs and thereafter for returning the circuit controller to a normally neutral position.

2. A push-pull-rotary circuit controller as defined in claim 1, wherein said movable contact assembly includes a plurality of tubular insulative elements telescoped over the other end of said operating rod for electrically isolating said contact elements.

3. A push-pull-rotary circuit controller as defined in claim 2, wherein the peripheral surface of said tubular insulative elements and the outer surface of said contact elements are substantially coincidental thereby providing a relatively even contacting surface area for said spring contacts.

4. A push-pull-rotary circuit controller as defined in claim 1, wherein said plurality of spring contacts are arranged in pairs for being` selectively electrically bridged by said contact elements.

5. A push-pull-rotary circuit controller as defined in claim 1, wherein said plurality of bearings includes a first bearing located at the one end of said operating rod, a second bearing located at the other end of said operating rod, and a third bearing located intermediate the ends of said operating rod.

6. A pus'h-pull-rotary circuit controller as defined in claim 5, lwherein said return-to-neutral spring biasing assembly is disposed between said first and third bearings and includes a compression spring, a torsion spring and a sector plate for returning the circuit controller to its neutral position.

7. A push-pull-rotary circuit controller as defined in claim 6, lwherein said sector plate includes an axially extending pin and said third bearing includes an axially 10 extending pin which cooperates with the respective ends of said torsion spring for rotatably returning the circuit controller to its neutral position.

8. A push-pull-rotary circuit controller as defined in claim 7, wherein the flat surfaces of said sector plate cooperate with said supporting bracket to limit the amount of rotational movement in either direction.

9. A push-pull-rotary circuit controller as defined in claim 7, wherein the respective ends of said torsion spring are carried by a spool of low friction material which is slidably disposed on said axially extending pin of said sector plate.

10. A push-pull-rotary circuit controller as defined 1n claim S, wherein said rst bearing comprises a threaded bushing fixedly secured to the front end of said supporting bracket for securing the circuit controller to a mounting panel.

11. A push-pull-rotary circuit controller as defined 1n claim 10, wherein a cylindrical sleeve is disposed within such threaded bushing and extends slightly beyond the front end of said threaded bushing so that said operating rod may be pushed inwardly to the extent in which the actuating handle engages the front end of said threaded bushing.

12. A push-pull-rotary circuit controller as defined 1n claim 5, wherein a cylindrical sleeve is disposed within said third bearing and extends slightly beyond the back end of said third bearing so that said operating rod may be pulled outwardly to the extent in which a stop member engages the back end of said third bearing.

13. A push-pull-rotary circuit controller as defined in claim 1, wherein said plurality of contact elements comprise a plurality of circular segment and ring contacts for electrically contacting said contact springs.

14. A push-pull-rotary circuit controller as defined in claim 1, wherein a cover member is telescoped over said supporting bracket and said bearings to protect said spring contacts and contact elements.

15. A push-pull-rotary circuit controller as defined in claim 13, wherein said operating rod includes an axially extending slot for providing a self-indexing arrangement for said circular segment contacts.

16. A circuit controller comprising, an L-shaped supporting bracket, a threaded bushing securely fastened to one leg of said L-shaped supporting bracket and a metallic and a nonmetallic bearing block disposed intermediate and at the free end of the other leg of said L-shaped supporting bracket, respectively, an operating rod passing axially through said bushing, said metallic bearing block and said nonmetallic bearing block, said operating rod having an actuating handle on one end for longitudinal and rotational manipulation, a return-to-neutral biasing assembly having a compression spring, a torsion spring, and a sector return plate surrounding said rod and disposed between said bushing and said metallic bearing block, a first axially extending pin secured to said sector return plate, a second axially extending pin secured to said metallic bearing block, a spool slidably disposed on said latter pin, a transfer switching assembly having a plurality of movable and stationary contacts disposed between said metallic and said nonmetallic bearing blocks, said movable contacts include a plurality of ring and segment conductive elements surrounding said operating rod and axially disposed in insulative relation by means of a plurality of insulative spacer sleeves telescoped over said operating rod, said stationary contacts include a plurality of conductive pairs of spring contact fingers disposed on each side of said operating rod in cooperative association with said ring and segment conductive elements of said movable contacts, said conductive spring contact fingers electrically connected to and carried by a printed circuit board which is securely fastened to said other leg of said L-shaped supporting bracket, said printed circuit board including terminal portions for connection to external circuits which are completed and interrupted in accordance 1 1 1 2 with the longitudinal and rotational manipulation 0f Said 3,127,484 3/ 1964 Hansen 200-46 actuating handle which causes the opening and closing 3,272,929 9/ 1966 Hacker 200-46 XR of said stationary contacts by said movable contacts.

ROBERT K. SCHAEFER, Primary Examiner References Cited 5 I. R. SCOTT, Assistant Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,244,822 4/ 1966 Elliott 200.46 U.S. C1. X,R, 3,089,923 s/1963 Wright. 200-16, 153 

